Artifically Created
by pillowrabbit
Summary: Kamil is a creature that is neither dog, neither cat, a Pokémon artificially created by the hands of a retired scientist. At first glance, Kamil is a perfect Pokémon, able to obey orders, conjure up the strongest attacks, and always comes out victorious in the killing ring, pitted against another Pokemon. However, he begins to wonder: What was I created for? Is this what life is?
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1-Aware

With my eyes closed, I could see only darkness gaping up in front of me. An empty void of nothingness. The blackness was warm and inviting. I knew that I had a presence, and I slowly cracked open my eyes to look at myself.

I had paws. I ordered them to move, and they did. I could feel the cool metal surface under my touch. I also had ears. They felt large and stuffy, and the noises I heard were muffled, as if something was plugging them. I twitched them, and I was startled to find that I could also control their movement. I made them swivel frontwards, backwards, side to side.

I looked behind me, and I could see that I had a tail. A small, slender, bony one, covered in a fine coat of bristly black hairs. I made it wag.

I focused my eyes on my surroundings. My vision was a little bit blurry around the edges, and my head was stuffy and heavy, as if I had fallen asleep for a very long time, but I didn't mind. I was sitting in some sort of a cage, with thick metal poles surrounding me on all sides. Through the bars, there was a room. There were no windows. It was cool and smelled slightly acidic, and the air shifted in all directions every second of time. I could feel it brush over my ebony fur.

In a corner of the room was a desk, cluttered with papers and pens and a lamp. I peered closer and saw that on one of the papers was a scribbled sketch of something. It had ears and a tail and paws. It was colored in black by the pen, and had slight yellow markings.

The rest of the room was filled with test tubes, boilers, tweezers, packages of stuff, cartons of liquid, and heaps and heaps of a purple powder were floating everywhere.

One of the test tubes was filled with a clear blue fluid. It was attached to a beaker with a green liquid. It bubbled and boiled on a stovetop.

Various contraptions filled the room. They were dusty and rusted over, and had gears and tracks and metal joints.

I pricked my ears up when a door opened. A man walked in. He had a small beard, and smoothly slicked black hair.

His big boots clunked on the metal floor as he strolled towards my cage.

I looked up uncertainly.

He murmured softly, "Hey there, big guy. You're finally awake." He held up a small mirror. Its smooth surface glinted sharply, and I had to avoid my eyes.

He held it closer. I peered into it, and was startled to find someone in there. It had a sharp, narrow face with stern amber eyes, and large, upright ears. Its fur was black except for some yellow markings crisscrossing its body.

It peered back at me. The large man said, "This is you. It's your reflection."

This is what I look like? I studied it intently. The thing in the mirror stared back.

Yes, I finally decided. This is me.

The man said, "You can call me "Master", if you want. I'm your creator, and I managed to fully generate you last night."

I stared fondly at him. So he was the one who created me, who have me life.

Master began to tangle his fingers around the bars of the cage. He unlocked it, and it slowly creaked open. "Want to come out?" he offered.

Very slowly, I lowered my head out of the cage. My nose quivered nervously, and I laid my ears back.

The room seemed dark and unwelcoming. I quickly ducked my head back in. I looked up at Master and shook my head. Maybe another day.

The man looked a little bit disappointed, but still, he smiled and said, "Alright then. Whenever you feel ready, just let me know, and I'll open it back up again." He closed the cage.

He strode across the room over to the cluttered desk and settled himself down on the chair. He began to scribble something on the papers, and muttered something quietly under his breath.

I had disappointed him, I know. He wanted me to walk out of the cage, but I didn't.

The room was big and hollow, cold and uninviting. The bars of the cage enveloped me and seemed to protect me.

Not today, I thought. Maybe tomorrow.

I lay down on the metal floor and closed my eyes. The rhythmic sound of Master scribbling with his pen lulled me to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, this chapter is pretty violent. Well, I hope you still enjoy.**

CHAPTER 2-The Killing Ring

Day by day, my fear weakened. I was finally able to walk out of the cage when Master opened it. I trembled on four slender, lanky legs, and clumsily tried to stand upright. I wasn't used to walking.

I explored every crevice of the room cautiously, my ears pricked up and alert. They didn't feel muffled anymore, and I could hear every sound crystal-clear.

Peculiar objects lined the floor. I poked one with my narrow muzzle, and leaped back in shock when it collapsed onto the ground with a light tinkling noise.

As I continued to explore, Master observed me from a corner. He was holding something white in his large hands, and was scribbling in it with a pen. I soon learned that the something was called a "notepad." I learned the names of many other things as well: "ceiling", "come", "stay", "go", "no", and "good". I especially loved it when Master said "good." That meant that he was pleased with me.

I also had a name, "Kamil". Master told me.

He smiled a lot, and scribbled frequently in his notepad. He told me that he was surprised that I was able to learn so much, even though I had been created only four days ago.

Created. I tipped my head at that unfamiliar word. What did it mean?

Master taught me other things, too. He said that he had attempted many other experiments, but they were failures. Either because they weren't perfect enough, weren't smart enough, or didn't look right, he had aborted every single one of them or put them down. I didn't understand most of the words he said, but I could tell that he was proud of me.

_And I was happy._

OoOoOoOoOoOOOooO

Days passed.

I no longer slept in the cage. Instead, I padded around the room and slept on the cold, hard floor. Master didn't stay with me, however. One day, he opened the door and walked out of the room, and I didn't see him for a long time. I was worried. Had he left for good?

The walls suddenly felt too small, and the air became suffocating. I curled up in a corner and tried to go to sleep, but my stomach felt hollow for some reason, and it kept me from dozing off.

For a second, I was tempted to scratch at the door, but I restrained myself. Master had told me to never scratch at the walls. I wanted to obey and please him.

And then, suddenly, the doorknob turned, and he stood in the doorway. I instantly leaped to my paws, my long tail snaking and curling behind me.

He held something in his hands, an unfamiliar shape. He set it down on the floor next to him and cooed, "Come here, Kamil. That's a good boy."

I trotted over to the thing and peered at it. It was dome-shaped and hollow, and it was filled with a clear liquid.

"It's called a bowl," the man explained. "And there's water inside."

I looked up at him expectedly. What was I supposed to do?

He pointed at the "bowl". "Dip your muzzle into it, and drink."

I hesitated, and then slowly leaned down. I gently touched the fluid with the tip of my nose. It felt wet and cool. I was fascinated. So this was water.

I submerged all of my muzzle into it, and some of it seeped into my mouth. I started to spit it out, but then realized that it tasted good. It was crisp and refreshing, clean and calm.

Before I could stop myself, I had lapped it all up. I felt a rough hand pat my head. "Good boy," the man said.

_And I was happy._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

More days passed. Master taught me to eat and drink, and he told me that I had to do these things frequently in order to survive.

My favorite food tasted red and raw. It was shaped like a slab and was bordered with white. Unfortunately, I did not know the name of it.

I had explored every corner and crack of the grey room, and I was getting bored. The walls seemed smaller somehow, now that I knew what to expect of it.

Master left the room many times, but he always came back. He brought things with him. They were peculiar and smelled strange. Some of it was sharp and glinted in the glow of the lamp. Others were smooth and flat and cold to touch.

He crouched down and beckoned. "Come," he said. I obeyed, and eagerly ran towards him.

He made me stand on a flat object. There were tiny figures on it. He wrote something down and then said, "Good."

He peered at my fur with a shiny disk, and then shone a flashlight into my eyes. I wasn't used to the brightness and flinched.

He stood up. At first, I thought that he was going to leave again, but, without warning, he jabbed something sharp into my arm. I flinched violently and began to back away. It hurt.

"Kamil," he ordered sternly. "Stay." He sounded angry.

I flattened my ears and crouched low to the ground while he stuck the needle into my skin.

"It'll all be over soon," he said. "I just need to examine you to see if you have any defects. If you don't then I'll get to keep you."

Keep me? I slowly wagged my long tail. I'd love to stay with him. But what if I _did _have defects? What would he do to me then?

He inspected the needle, and then nodded. He shuffled the papers on his desk and peered at it.

I sat patiently by his feet.

Finally, he smiled, nodded, and looked at me with those steel-blue eyes of his. "Everything is perfect. I don't have to discard you." My body filled up with a warm feeling. I got to stay with him!

He took something from a container, and my eyes lit up when I realized that it was a piece of my favorite food. He dropped it to the floor in front of me, and I eagerly gulped it up.

_And I was happy._

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

One day, one of Master's papers flew down from his desk, and I inspected it. It had a picture messily scribbled in with the black ink from his pen. It was large and black, with a hairy back and a long, winding tail. It had yellow markings on its face and back, four long, lanky paws, a narrow muzzle, and sharp, upright ears. It had enormous, piercing teeth, and its eyes were nothing but steel and metal. Its eyes scared me. They looked so fearsome and cold.

I knew that the drawing was supposed to be of me. A large mirror hung from a wall, so I was able to see myself everyday.

But, something about the Kamil in the scribbled drawing seemed different. The eyes didn't look right, I finally decided. And the teeth were too big.

The door suddenly flew open, and I jumped in surprise. Master looked at me. He was grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat, and his eyes were sparkling. "Today's the day!" he said in a cheerful voice. "I hope you're ready!"

I had never seen him so happy. But why?

He was holding something slender and blue in his hands. The man leaned down and fastened it to my neck. Then he turned me over to the mirror and beamed.

I gazed at my reflection. A "collar", he called it. It wound securely around my neck and matched the color of my eyes perfectly.

A tiny, flat golden piece of metal was attached to it, and on it was printed neatly with a word that I didn't know.

Master said proudly, "I got it just for you. This shows that you're mine." I looked up at him and wagged my tail.

"Well, let's get going."

He took out a needle from a package and advanced towards me. I blinked and took a step back.

"It's alright," he said. "It'll only hurt for a second, and then it'll make you fall asleep."

I hesitated. He crouched down, and I looked away as he injected it into my skin. There was a stinging sensation, pins and needles, and I suddenly started to feel groggy.

The room began to spin. My head felt heavy and my eyelids drooped.

The sensation became overwhelming and I crashed to the floor.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When I woke up, my head felt large and stuffy. The world began to swim in circles again, and I gently laid my head in my paws.

I was in a cage, only this time, it was larger, and the bars were a bit thicker. The room looked different and unfamiliar. It was a lot darker, and the shadows moved.

My eyes widened when I heard something shuffling in the darkness. I wasn't alone in the room.

Something moved. It pattered across the floor and paused. I heard a shudder, a wheeze, and then a gentle sigh, and all became silent.

Nothing else stirred. I slowly shifted my position, all my senses suddenly alert. Where was I? And where was Master? I was beginning to feel afraid. Here I was, locked up in a cage in a dark, unknown room, with strange shapes shifting and gasping around me.

Unexpectedly, a door opened, and light flooded in. I breathed a sigh of relief, for Master was coming. He unlocked the door and fastened a leash to my collar. "It's show time, buddy," he grinned. I was confused.

He led me out of the room and into a corridor. Past the corridor, he guided me down a flight of stairs as I clumsily descended. The walls were light and cream-colored, and light was everywhere. My heart beat faster.

The floors were warm and covered with deep red fuzz. A carpet?

In the distance, I could hear buzzes of excitement, a flurry of laughter, and unfamiliar smells.

My pace began to slow down. Master had to drag me the rest of the way.

We neared a crowd of people. So many humans! They were all dressed up like dolls, wearing colorful and shiny clothing. How loud they were! They chattered and laughed and squawked. The lights overhead on the peach-colored ceiling shone brightly and hummed.

I cowered next to Master. So much noise! It hurt my ears. So much buzz! So much light! Too much! It was too much!

All of a sudden, Master was leaning down next to me, and he patted my head. His familiar scent washed over me, and I felt a bit safe for the moment.

The other people were beginning to look at me. One of them, with long, combed hair that unraveled down all the way to her waist, eyed me warily. Her face had a mixture of shock and disgust. Why?

She asked, "Mr. Maycraft, what kind of Pokemon do you have there? I've never seen anything like it before." She peered at me closely. I was beginning to feel unnerved.

The other people observed me too, and their voices were sharp. Master announced proudly, "This, folks, is an artificial creature that I created. You said that it couldn't be done, but I did it. He's going to triumph in the killing ring tonight." He was talking nonsense again. I didn't understand a word he said.

The people started to back away. A man appeared from the crowd and he walked up to us boldly. He scoffed, "That thing looks about as harmful as a scrawny rat. And besides, my Ursaring's never lost a fight before." I disliked him from the start.

Master replied, "We'll see about that."

As the crowd drifted away, Master leaned down next to me and said, "Well, I guess I'd better tell you why you're hear."

"Every once in a while, the Fraternity holds a private meeting, one that is secret to most of the other people in the community. At the meeting, we hold a lottery. If we win, we'll be rich." He smiled like a Cheshire cat.

"So you're going to be pitted against an opponent's Pokemon. A lot of people will bet money. Your job is to kill the rival. If we win, we'll get all of the cash."

He stroked my head furiously. "I have faith in you. I've checked everything; you're as perfect as I've created you to be."

He used a lot of unfamiliar words, but I knew that he was eager. I nodded. I would try to make him proud of me.

He led me over to a large door. He nudged me inside, and then closed it. I was enveloped in darkness.

A light blinked at the edge of the dark room, and I eagerly sprinted towards it.

I exited the room, into a large stadium absolutely filled with people. It was jam-packed to capacity. Their cheering bombarded my ears and I trembled. Where was Master? Someone spoke into a microphone and announced, "Welcome, ladies and gents, to the Fraternity's annual meeting. The lottery will begin right now! As you know, money will be bet on which Pokemon you think will stand up to be victorious. If it wins, then its owner gets all of the money."

The crowd hollered even louder, and their voices mingled together and bounced off the walls. It made my ears hurt more. My eyes were opened wide, and my breath came in short gasps. My heart pounded furiously.

The announcer spoke into the microphone again, "First off, we have Mr. Maycraft's artificial creature, Kamil. He has informed me that this being was created with the genes of a Jolteon, a Luxray, a Houndoom, and an Arcanine, although to me, it looks no better than a scrawny rodent."

I tried to cover my ears with my paws. It was too loud!

"And in another corner over there, we have Mr. Mire's Ursaring, who has never lost a kill, not even once! Who do you think will win?"

The crowd grew steadily quieter.

Far across the large stadium, I could see a strange creature. He was large, bigger than me, with shaggy, brown fur, and small ears. There was a yellow circle on its stomach. His eyes were focused on me, and he looked far from friendly. He bared his teeth.

The announcer cried, "Alright, folks! Let the first round begin! Three, two, one, go!"

Immediately, the Ursaring lunged towards me. It circled me, eyeing me hungrily and snarling.

_You don't look much like competition, _he growled in a raspy voice. _Too bad I'm going to have to kill you. _

Kill me?

_What's the matter? Too scared to talk? _he taunted. Ursaring smirked.

His language sounded unfamiliar to my ears, but, oddly enough, I could understand perfectly every word he said.

What was happening?

Abruptly, without warning, he tackled me. I felt his heavy claws graze into my skin and tear into me. His weight knocked the breath out of my lungs. He sank his teeth into my neck, and I could feel it graze bone.

A liquid began to well up and pour out of my wounds and I stared at it with confusion. There was water inside me? But why was it red?

The crowd cheered as Ursaring pummeled me once more, slashing into me and making the red water pour out even faster. It hurt.

Stop! I wanted to yell. Why was he doing this? Where was Master? Master! Help me!

But no sound came out of my throat.

He threw me across the stadium and I landed with a thunk onto the pavement.

My vision was beginning to blur. I was hurting in more places that I could count, and the bulky creature was running towards me. _This is the finishing blow_! he yelled in his strange language.

Unexpectedly, I could hear a familiar voice somewhere among the voices of the audience.

"Kamil! What are you doing? Get up and rip his throat out!"

Master!

I conjured up the strength that was left inside of me and stood up to face my attacker. Ursaring roared, loud and harsh, and charged.

Before his claw could swipe at me, I lunged at his throat. My teeth connected with flesh and I bit down as hard as I could. The flesh tore easily, and immediately, a salty, bitter taste welled up in my mouth. I let go of his throat and backed away.

The Ursaring stared at me with wide, unblinking eyes. His throat was torn, and the same red liquid was streaming down in thick torrents. He gurgled, as if he was trying to say something, and then his legs buckled out from beneath him. He collapsed.

The creature didn't move. He just lay there. The red water seeped from his fur and formed a pool around the floor.

I cautiously padded closer to inspect him. He wasn't moving. The eyes were unfocused and glazed over. How come? How could he fall asleep at a place like this?

I stared in fascination at the red water. It pooled around my paws and dyed my black fur a deep scarlet.

And then I noticed the crowd. The people had stopped cheering completely.

They stared at me with wide eyes, their mouths gaping in shock.

I looked uncertainly at Master. But he was nowhere to be found.

The announcer sputtered into the microphone, "Er…w-well…that was a surprise ending! Who knew that Kamil would win?"

I pricked my ears up.

Master was walking towards me, his face beaming. His pockets were filled with the cash that he had won.

He ruffled the fur on my head and exclaimed to the audience, "See here! My Pokemon is victorious!"

I raised my head in pride, my jaws dripping with the crimson fluid. The crowd burst into cheers.

The Ursaring didn't move during all that time, not even once. He just lay there like a big brown mound, the scarlet rivers staining his fur red.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

I won all three rounds that night. I had triumphed against an Ursaring, a Gyrados, and a Nidoqueen.

Master beamed down at me, accepting all of the applause and cheers from the other people. The money drifted down and covered the floor.

He was proud of me, and I was glad. My wounds ached terribly, and some of the red water still trickled down, but I didn't care. All I wanted to see was my Master's smile.

He exclaimed happily, "You did it! You managed to exterminate every one of your rivals in the killing ring. You won all of the rounds!"

I tipped my head to one side. There was that word again. "Kill". What did it mean?

He saw the confusion etched on my face, and he decided to explain it to me.

He told me that everyone had life, a force that kept them thinking and feeling and breathing. To kill was to take it all away from them and use it for my own personal gain.

I had killed all those other creatures. The Ursaring, the Gyrados, and the Nidoqueen. The life force was red and it ran freely in puddles around every one of them.

Because I had killed them. The blood dripped from my mouth and splattered onto the floor.

Killing sounded terrible. But then, how come everyone was congratulating Master and smiling?

It didn't make any sense. For the first time, I felt uncertain about Master's choices and my actions.

Killing was to take away all feelings of emotion, all of their thoughts and memories and the ability to see, touch, hear. I had done just that.

Did I do the right thing?

Master petted my fur, which was matted with the dried blood. He gave me a large piece of steak. He was so proud of me, so delighted, that he congratulated me every minute of the night. His pockets were overflowing with money. The smile never left his face, not even once. "I'm so proud of you," he kept saying, over and over again.

…_And I was happy?_


End file.
